Does single parenthood increase the probability of teenage promiscuity, substance use, and crime?

Abstract

There is longstanding evidence that youths raised by single parents are more likely to perform poorly in school and partake in “deviant” behaviors such as smoking, sex, substance use, and crime. However, there is not widespread agreement as to whether the timing of the marital disruption differentially impacts youth outcomes. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and its Young Adult Supplement, we find that an additional 5 years with the biological father decreases the probability of smoking, drinking, engaging in sexual activity, marijuana use, and conviction by approximately 5.3, 1.2, 3.4, 2.2 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively.

Keywords

Family structure Marital dissolution Youth outcomes

JEL Classification

Notes

Acknowledgements

We thank Eric Helland; Janet Currie; Duncan Thomas; seminar participants at the 2001 Society of Labor Economists meetings, the 2001 American Law and Association meetings, the UCLA/RAND labor economics seminar, the 56th European Meetings of the Econometric Society, and the 16th Annual Congress of the European Economic Association; and two anonymous referees for helpful comments.

Data appendix

Specification

Variable Description

A

Years with biological father

Race: black and Hispanic (omitted category: all other groups)

Male

Birth order (1=oldest child)

Number of children in household

Mother's years of education

Mother's age at youth's birth

3 SMSA indicators (omitted category: not in an SMSA)

3 Regional indicators (omitted category: Northeast)

B

Number of children ever born to the youth's mother

Mother's immigrant status (=1 if an immigrant)

Mother's adjusted AFQT score (see footnote 9)

Mother's mother's education (see footnote 10)

Mother's mother's immigrant status (=1 if an immigrant)

Mother lived in the south at age 14

Mother's father's education (see footnote 10)

Mother's father's immigrant status (=1 if an immigrant)

Mother's family structure at age 14 (included categories: live with both parents, live with mother only)